Gwend
by Alilacia
Summary: Elladan and Elrohir are nearing 50 years of age, and are taken on a trip to Greenwood. This is their first walk into the fair woods, and neither know what to expect. Neither do the elves of Greenwood, and nothing turns out the way you plan.
1. Welcome to Greenwood

**Gwend (Friendship)**

**By: **Alilacia

**Rating: **PG-13

**Feedback: **None that I can think of.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own the Lord of the Rings, or anything to do with the film or books. That honour goes to Peter Jackson (et all) and J.R.R Tolkien. I have no permission what so ever to use these characters, will not receive any money for this, and am doing this for my own enjoyment. And to get away from doing my college assignments

**Series:**

Gwend (Friendship)

Mortality

Lessons

Wandering

Learning Curve

Sickness

**Summary:**

Elladan and Elrohir are nearing 50 years of age, and are taken on a trip to Greenwood. This is their first walk into the fair woods, and neither know what to expect. Neither do the elves of Greenwood, and nothing turns out the way you plan.

**Mae govannen!**

**This is the first instalment in The Lennath Series. According to the site I found on the internet 'Lennath' is apparently journey's in Sindarin. I apologise if it isn't, my elvish skills are not the best in the world.**

**So in English it is basically 'The Journey's Series'. I decided to call it The Journey's Series, because that is basically what all the stories are about: Legolas' and Aragorn's journey's though life, and the paths it takes them on. **

**This is a story called Gwend, which is Sindarin for Friendship. I know before I said that Mortality was the first story in this series, but I recently got the idea for a back story, and so there could be many more stories before Mortality, Gwend being the first.**

**First I am going to make it clear that this is a NON-SLASH, so you won't be finding any relationship between Legolas and Aragorn that is any closer than brothers. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I'm not going to make it any different.**

**I have not read the Silmarillion, or any of the other history/information books published regarding the Lord of the Rings. So I apologise if there are any mistakes in these stories. Feel free to let me know if there are. I am learning new things each day, and I owe quite a few people major thanks for some of that information. **

**Namárië mellyn nin**

**Alilacia**

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**Gwend (Friendship)**

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"Ada, are we there yet?"

Elladan glanced up at the tall trees around him with a small amount of fear. This was the first time he had been this far away from Imladris, and the young elf didn't know what to expect. Shaking his head, he forced those thoughts out of his mind. This was just another wood, populated with another set of elves, ones he knew little about, and he had heard stories about what lived in these woods.

The fear settled into his stomach again, and he glanced at his brother. It didn't look as though Elrohir was feeling as nervous and afraid as he was, and Elladan forced himself to relax. If Elrohir wasn't bothered by this then he wouldn't be either.

"Thranduil's halls are not far my son. We will be there soon."

This didn't ease Elladan's worries very much and he wished, not for the first time since they had set out, that they had stayed at Imladris instead of travelling to...

"Hey Elrohir," Elladan leant over and whispered to his brother, "where are we again?"

Elrohir frowned and pursed his lips. "Greenwood, I think."

"I'd certainly agree with that." Elladan muttered as he pulled away and looked around again. This place was really too... green. Hadn't the elves here heard of flowers?

Elrond glanced around them and met the gaze of his advisor Glorfindel. Celebrian was back in Imladris looking after the refuge, and keeping Arwen busy. Since it was nearing the twins 50th birthday, even though it was not celebrated, Elrond had decided to take the twins with him on his next trip to Greenwood.

Despite himself, Elrond was feeling a little nervous about taking the twins with him. If the past 50 years had taught him anything, it was that the twins were pranksters, and he didn't trust them not to try something. Even though he asked them not to do anything while they were here (and at the same time liberated several crudely fashioned pea shooters from their pockets), the elven lord couldn't banish the feeling of foreboding from his heart.

Glorfindel tensed and everyone else looked around as muffled sounds sounded from above them. Elrohir glanced up nervously, suddenly remembering what he had been told about the spiders of Greenwood.

The golden haired elf reached behind him to pull out a large bow and calmly notched an arrow, his eyes not leaving the canopy above them. Elrond muttered some words to his horse and gracefully dismounted. Elladan and Elrohir slowly reached down and pulled out their bows. They had been specially made to fit their height as Celebrian did not want them fighting with swords or daggers just yet. So Celebrian had surprised them one year with the two finely crafted bows. The twins carried them everywhere they went.

As the feeling that they were not alone went up a few notches, Elrond pulled out an ornate sword and held it in a sure grip by his side, his posture alert.

Suddenly without warning, a furry form fell from the trees, and the full force of its weight landed on Elrohir. Elrohir's breath left him in a rush as he hit the ground, and the young elf tensed as he heard the pretensile jaws snapping near to his face. Elrohir tensed his muscle as he heard Elladan call out his name, and seconds later he heard the sound of an arrow cutting through the air. The spider made a pained sound, and turned away from the struggling elf.

Glorfindel stood next to his steed, and notched another arrow. The point was fixed unwaveringly on the spiders many eyes and Glorfindel pulled the string back tighter. Elrond ran past the legs as it shrieked and ran for Glorfindel. His thoughts were centered on his youngest, and he dimly registered that Glorfindel's arrow shot straight through the creatures skull, killing it instaneously.

Elrohir was pressing himself up off the ground, and Glorfindel stopped up next to Elrond as the half-elven lord gently helped his youngest son into a sitting position. "Easy my son, I must check for bite wounds."

"I think I would know if I was bitten ada." Elrohir mumbled, and took the bow that Elladan handed to him.

Elrond smiled slightly, but tipped Elrohir's head to the side. The motion caused Elrohir to moan slightly, and Elrond apologised before tipping the head further. Elladan reached over and pulled Elrohir's collar to the side when Elrond asked him to. As Elrond closely examined Elrohir's neck and shoulders for any bites, Glorfindel knelt down next to him.

"My lord, we should not linger. There could be more than one spider present." Elrohir glanced around nervously as Elrond righted his collar, the young elfs' fingers tightening on his bow.

His back ached where he had landed on his quiver, but at that moment, Elrohir's focus was centered on the rustling he could still hear in the trees. Rustling that had nothing to do with the breeze.

Nothing appeared which made the elves start to get nervous, and Elrohir slowly moved to his feet with the help of Elrond and Elladan. Once Elrond was sure that Elrohir was steady on his feet, he moved to Glorfindel's side, and Elladan supported Elrohir and placed his hand securely around his brothers' waist. Elrohir tried to shake off Elladan's grip, but he was having none of it, and Elrohir sighed.

Chaos seemed to break out within seconds, and Elladan identified at least four spiders working their way down the thick trunks of the trees.

When one got too close to Elrohir for his liking, Elladan stabbed at one of its eyes using the barbed point of his arrow, and then nimbly jumped out of the attacking legs, taking Elrohir with him. Without breaking his rhythmn, Elladan notched an arrow, and let it fly. He felt Elrohir do the same beside him, and both their arrows hit with a thud. Elladan lowered his bow in disbelief as the arrows did little damage and seemed to do nothing but aggrevate the creature.

Elrond ducked as the creature lunged again, and tried to sink its fangs into the soft flesh of his neck. As the creature continued moving over him, the lord of Rivendell raised his sword, and it glanced over the underbelly before sinking in. The creature let loose a wail that grated on his ears, and the legs around him started to buckle.

Elrohir looked over and saw what their ada had done. Signalling to his brother, Elrohir moved towards the next spider that was heading towards them, and while Elladan fired another arrow into its head, Elrohir quickly crawled under the black abdomen, and thrust one of his arrows up as sharply as he could. The point was not as sharp as a sword, and Elrohir was having trouble getting it to penetrate. Small hands wrapped around his own, and both young elves pressed upwards with their strength, and with a sickening pop the arrow cleanly slid into the heaving abdomen. They both moved away as the body started to fall to the ground.

Elrohir tripped and tried to right himself. Elladan started to pull himself up first, and reached for his bow. Another spider was heading towards him quickly, and neither Elrond nor Glorfindel could help him as they were stuck with a spider of their own.

Elrohir lifted his own bow and fixed the point of his arrow on the creatures eye. With shaking hands he pulled the string back. His breath escaped him in a rush again as the spider suddenly jumped, dodging his arrow and landing on top of him. Elladan dropped his bow and jumped onto the creatures back, armed only with one of his arrows.

Elladan gripped on tighter when the creature suddenly jerked and fell to the ground. His gaze drifted upwards to find a single yellow and green fletched arrow had cleanly struck the spider through its eyes, and straight into its brain. Jumping quickly off the dead spider, Elladan reached down and helped his brother push the cooling body off of him.

Neither Elrond nor Glorfindel even had a chance to attack the spider as a second arrow came shooting out of the trees, and the spider fell where it stood.

A stunned silence descended over the woods, and no-one spoke. As Elladan moved away from the spiders' still form, he wondered just who would be such a good shot as to kill two of them that quickly. Elrond stood and didn't return his sword to his sheath. Until he saw who their mysterious benefactor was, he was not going to relax his guard.

Slight movement on one of the branches caught his eyes, and Elrond wondered if he had even seen it at all. But when Elladan shouted out for whoever it was to show themselves, Elrond knew he hadn't imagined it. Glorfindel reached slowly for another arrow, and Elladan moved in front of his brother, shielding him from whatever was in the trees.

A slender form gracefully jumped down from the tree, and well crafted bow in his hands. Blond hair just below his shoulders drifted lightly in the breeze, and his bow didn't waver from Elrond's heart.

The blond archers eyes looked over each person in the eye and slowly lowered his bow. "Lord Elrond, Lord Glorfindel, Lords Elladan and Elrohir. Welcome to Greenwood."

"Legolas Thranduilion." Elrond inclined his head. He re-sheathed his sword and nodded at the young prince.

"You should be careful when walking these paths. The spiders are not inherantly evil, but they do not like anyone roaming near their nests."

"Thank you for coming to our aid Prince Legolas," said Glorfindel softly as he inclined his head as a sign of respect. Legolas bowed his head in return, and swung his bow over his back.

"I was merely in the right place at the right time. If you would please follow me, the safest path is through here."

"It is rare that your father lets you travel without an escort Prince Legolas," Elrond commented softly as they walked out onto a wooded path, "Are they waiting somewhere else?"

Legolas looked down at the path and didn't say anything. Elrond smiled as he recognised the look in the elven princes' eyes. It was a look he often saw in his sons eyes when they had done something they were not supposed to. Leaving his sons with Glorfindel, the half-elven lord increased his pace to walk next to Legolas. "You were not supposed to be out here alone were you prince." Legolas continued looking at the path before raising his head and looking at the elven lord as he walked.

"Nay my lord, I was not." he admitted softly. "I was out with another scouting group looking for herbs when I heard something in the distance. It was not long after that I found you in the middle of a fight with the spiders." Legolas turned a desperate look to the elder elf, and suddenly looked much younger. "You will not tell my father that I left the group without permission will you? I am not even supposed to be this far out into the forest alone. Even though I can take care of myself, father still feels I need a group of guards when I leave the palace." This last was spoken in a tone that suggested Legolas did not agree at all with his fathers decision, and Elrond had to smile again. He had heard this tone in his sons before when they were not happy with something that he had said.

"Worry not little prince, I will not tell King Thranduil that you left the group alone, and if he asks, you left because you came to our aid." Elrond smiled when Legolas looked up at him with a look that spoke of shock and gratitude. "That is the truth is it not? We would probably still be out there now fighting the spiders if you had not come along." Elrond cast a gentle look down to the young prince, and did not mention how they would probably have killed the last two eventually. Although not as quickly as Legolas had dispatched them. This elf truely had a skill for one so young.

"My prince!"

The group looked up as a elf stepped out of the trees to the left of the path. The look on his face was of utter relief, and he turned and whistled into the air. As an answering whistle sounded, the elf turned to face the prince and knelt down in front of him. "My prince are you alright? We were so worried when you had vanished."

The elf finally noticed Lord Elrond standing just behind Legolas and stood, giving Legolas time to think up something. "My lords, it is an honour. Welcome to Greenwood."

Although relationships between these two elven kingdoms were sparce at best, for the sake of diplomacy, any travellers from Imladris were welcomed with open arms. Most of the time.

"We have just arrived here, and had a long journey." Elrond glanced back at his sons who were looking a bit worse for wear. "Might I request that we be taken to King Thranduil?"

"Of course," the elf looked behind him as several elves materialised out of the trees, and immediately began inquiring about Legolas' health. Legolas assured all of them that he was alright, although he hated that they all fussed over him the minute he tried to do something for himself.

Thranduil sighed as he uttered the words to open up the gate. He had been working on some trade agreements between his palace and the men of Lake Town when a scout came running in shouting that Legolas had gone missing. This was not the first time that this had happened, and Thranduil wondered if he would get away with confining Legolas to his rooms until he reached 2000.

With another sigh, the elven king spoke the necessary words to open the gates and they swung open with a light creak. The first thing that he saw was a dark haired elf that he had never seen before. No... make that two dark haired elves. Thranduil resisted the urge to rub his eyes, there was no way that he was seeing double, was there?

Walking just behind them was the group of scouts that he had sent out with Legolas that morning, with one more in their group than he remembered. Thranduil shook his head and looked again. No, that was Glorfindel. Thranduil sighed and geared himself up to welcome the group. A small part of him hoping he was not going to hear another account of how Glorfindel killed that Balrog. Thranduil swore that he had heard it to many times now he could have told it himself, grandeous gestures and all.

The king occasionally saw a flash of blond hair, and the tip of a bow, which only meant Legolas was circling the scouts legs again. Did he really think he wouldn't notice him?

"Mae govannen an Lasgalen." _"Welcome to Greenwood." _Thranduil glanced back imperceptibly for his son. Shaking his head slightly when he didn't see him, the king turned his gaze back to the group. "Le thîr drauth. Teli, aes buia am ú-annan io, a adab gar an le." _"You look weary. Come, a meal was served up not long ago, and rooms have been prepared for you." _As he finished speaking, Thranduil turned and started walking to the palace. Everyone fell into step behind him, and the king slowly let his pace slow, telling the group that the scouts would lead them to the main hall, or to their rooms if they felt the need to freshen up.

Legolas sighed quietly as his father started walking at the back of the group. He had been so sure that his father had seen him as he headed behind the bushes. After the last reprimand he had for disappearing to play with a couple of cubs he had stumbled across one day, Legolas had no intention of getting the same today. Legolas resisted the urge to peek over the top of the bushes and see if they had entered the house yet, and strained his ears to listen for the door shutting. He barely heard the soft sound of the footsteps walking into the palace, and allowed himself to relax.

"Legolas, I know that you are still out there."

The soft voice of his father made him tense up, and it was all he could do not to run for better cover. "I do not know what you had to do that was so important to take you away from the scouting group again, but this is the last time Legolas, do you hear me?" Legolas closed his eyes, and burrowed down further into the ground. Where was a huge gaping hole or a rabid group of orcs when you needed one? "Si, come out no-"

The rest of what Thranduil said was drowned out by a sudden crash from inside the palace, and Legolas jumped, nearly giving his hiding place away.

Thranduil jumped slightly, and turned back to look at the palace. The king was torn between finding out what in Valar's name that crash was, or bringing in his wayward son. When a shout followed the crash, and when he heard several shouts, the King sighed and decided to see what was wrong. "Now Legolas, I expect you to be back in the palace in five minutes, or that precious wolf cub of yours will be sleeping outside tonight." Turning and fixing the bush he was sure Legolas was hiding behind with a glare, the king spun on his feet and walked back into the palace.

As the door slammed shut for a final time, Legolas crept out of his hiding place. He didn't doubt for one second that his adar would send Ithil outside if he didn't come inside. Glancing around him for any elves, the little prince ran for the cover of trees that signalled the beginning of the underground part of the palace, and started moving steathily from tree to tree. Twice Legolas had to duck to avoid being seen by some elves that walked out of the palace, and Legolas was relieved when he neared one of the back doors to the palace.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door slowly, and slipped inside. Blending in with the shadows, the prince stopped and listened for any footsteps. Breathing out a relieved sigh when he heard nothing, the prince started to move out into the hallway. Legolas didn't get far as he slammed into someone. His breath was momentarily knocked out of him, and he looked up fearfully to see who it was.

Legolas blinked in the darkness of the shadowed hallway and realised that the person, or rather persons, were not any of the people he would have expected to be here.

"Hey, aren't you that one who saved us from the spiders?"

The elf on the right turned to the elf next to him. Legolas recognised them to be Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's sons, but in the poor light, he couldn't tell which was which.

"I think Ada said his name was Legolas. Is that your name?" asked the elf on the elf. Legolas nodded dimly, and looked each elf in the eye. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Elrohir," said the elf on the left, "and this is my brother Elladan." Elrohir pointed to the elf standing next to him, and Legolas resisted the urge to shake his head. He had to hope that they were telling him the truth, because he honestly could not tell the two of them apart. He had not been able to earlier, and was hoping that Lord Elrond would have given away who they were. Unfortunately, they got to the palace before Elrond had to call upon either of his children. And when he had spoken to them, he had addressed them both as 'my sons'.

"Shouldn't you be at the feast?" asked the elf on the right. _Elladan_, Legolas' mind supplied, and he nodded cautiously.

"I should be there yes, but I wanted to take a walk before joining you all." Legolas said, and started to walk in the direction of his room. The twins followed him, and together they walked soundlessly, not once talking until Legolas stopped in front of a wooden door. "I wish to take a moment to freshen up, do you know your way back to the Main Hall?" Legolas paused in the door as this thought occured to him, and he quickly usherred the twins inside his chambers when he heard footsteps approaching.

If the twins were puzzled by this, they said nothing and glanced around his chambers. "Unfortunately we do not, in our haste to leave we didn't pay to much attention to where we were going."

This caught Legolas' attention, and he glanced up briefly as he sorted through his formal wear. "What do you mean 'in our haste to leave'?"

"Well we..." Elrohir suddenly looked rather sheepish, and trailed off, looking for something to say.

"Wait..." Legolas paused as he pulled out a silver tunic, "as I was nearing the palace I heard a crash. Was that you?"

A grin pulled at the corner of Legolas' lips as he saw Elladan and Elrohir both nod, and he turned away. Partly to start getting changed, and partly to hide his grin. Things would definitely be interesting with the twins around.

With a final check in the mirror, Legolas straightened his tunic and started walking towards the door. "Come, I will show you the way to the Main Hall. With any luck, we can just slip in and not be noticed."

Legolas paused briefly outside the door, before directing the twins to a small darkened passageway to the side. This was not a commonly used passage, and the elven prince hoped it would still be empty. This was the quickest, and least used path to the main hall, and soon Legolas slowed his pace. They were nearly at the main hall, and would have to tread carefully from now one.

"We are near the main hall," Legolas told the twins in a whisper as he edged forwards. The twins nodded back, and Elladan frowned slightly as they followed Legolas.

"Then why are we whispering?" he whispered back as Legolas lead them away from the large, ornate door that was the main entrance to the main hall.

"Even if we talk quietly, someone could still hear us. I would rather not take that chance," Legolas whispered back, and drew down another darkened hallway. Elrohir shrugged by his side, and they both elected not to say anything more.

Muffled music, talking and laughter spilled out from behind closed doors, Legolas knew that the feast was over, and the proceedings had moved on to more joyous events. Hoping the crowds would be fairly close to the door, Legolas slipped it open a fraction, and signalled to the twins to follow him in.

The hallway settled back into its usual quiet as the door slowly slipped shut behind the three elves.

Legolas slowly moved to the edges of the room, only just hearing the twins footsteps following his own over the noise. Looking around him, Legolas could see that he had assumed correctly. The feast was over, and all the left-over food had been moved to one side to make more room for the elves. Such a sight was not common in Greenwood, but it was not every day that they recieved visitors.

The silvan elf easily manovered his way through the crowd, and blended into the shadows in a darkened corner. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was spotted, and hoped more than anything he was not found by his father first. Or at least late enough into the night so he could claim he was tired and retire to bed early.

Elladan and Elrohir shrugged again and leant on the wall next to the elf. In truth, they didn't want to be here either, especially not after they broke that vase accidentally earlier on. Elrond knew about that unfortunately, but neither of the twins were going to let him know about some of the lamps down the hallway. Or Legolas for that matter. Speaking of Legolas...

The blond elf in question had shifted away, and was taking some snacks from a table. The twins finally noticed how hungry they were, and moved through the crowd to stand next to the prince.

Legolas' breath caught in his throat as a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, and he knew who it was before he turned around. To all outward appearances Legolas appeared calm, and he placed the plate he was eating from back on the side. Turning around, he pasted his most innocent expression onto his face, and looked up into his fathers stern face.

"Yes ada?"

Thranduil's face did not show any kind of amusement, and he fixed Legolas with an even stare. "Why did you not come into the palace when I asked Legolas?"

Legolas gulped and quickly glanced around. There was no way that he could get out of this before he really got into trouble.

The twins edged their way closer to where the young prince was standing. They were curious as to why Legolas was being told off.

Elladan glanced over at the crowd and saw that they were attracting an audience. Suddenly remembering what it was like to be told off by a parent, he felt sorry for Legolas. At least at home, he had never been told off in public. Elrond always waited until they were alone for that.

With a nudge into Elrohir's ribs, the twins melted back into the crowd, leaving Legolas who was trying to come up with something to say to his father.

Elrohir had realised what Elladan had wanted to do as soon as he had been pulled into the crowd. Glancing around, he noticed one of the doors had been left open. Tapping his twin on the shoulder, he pointed to the door.

With a smirk, the twins crept out of the door, and used their sketchy memory of the trip into the palace to find their way back outside. Grinning evilly they found the small skunk they had spotted on the way in. After a brief argument as to who was going to carry it, Elrohir reluctantly picked up the creature, scrunching up his nose against the smell.

Silently, the pair moved back into the palace, and slipped back in through the door. Elrohir placed the skunk just behind a large group of people in front of the other exit to the main hall. None noticed this as their attention was drawn by the King and Prince, none save one other.

Edging back away from the creature that was starting to move further into the hall, Elladan grabbed one of the harder bread rolls on the buffet table, and moved to a better position. Hefting it in his hand, he let it fly. The bread roll missed the skunk, but hit close enough to startle it, and soon there was a strong, pungeant smell in the room. The elves closest looked slightly nauseated, and turned around looking for the smell.

Slowly, the smell reached Thranduil, and he paused mid-rant. Thranduil turned his glare to the room, and tried to find out where the smell was coming from. Legolas scrunched up his nose, and started looking as well. He started to smile when he noticed the twins in the corner giving him a thumbs up from where they had hidden slightly.

Nodding back, he glanced to check his father was still preoccupied, and slipped out of the door. Shutting the door softly, he tiptoed down the hallway, and walked quickly round to the other back door to the main hall. Poking his head inside, he whispered the twins' name to get their attention, and he gestured for them to follow him when they turned around.

He shut the door after them, and motioned for them to follow him. Seeing as they really couldn't think of anything else to do, the twins once again found themselves following Legolas down the corridors of Greenwood.

The coridoor started sloping downwards, the twins noticed, and the air didn't seem quite as fresh as it was by the main hall. The twins huddled closer together and glanced nervously around them. They hoped that Legolas knew where he was going.

The atmosphere down here was very oppressing, and Elladan and Elrohir found themselves unconsciously quickening their pace slightly.

Resting his hand on the slightly aging wooden door, Legolas quickly and quietly pushed it open. With a final check that no-one was down here, he ushered the twins inside, and closed the door behind them.

He moved quickly through the gloomy room, and chose to move into the door on the far left. This wasn't quite as oppressive as where they had just walked though, but none the less the twins found themselves sticking close to Legolas as he sat down on the floor.

"This is the dungeons," Legolas said in a low voice. He almost laughed at the wide-eyed look of the twins, and shook his head. "I am not here to put you in them, this is the most secluded place in the whole palace. Usually only prisoners are taken down here, but my father will never think to look here. He'll probably assume that I went back to my room or something."

They were slightly reassured by Legolas' words, and looked around them.

The dungeons were dark, and smelt really damp. The ground was definitely not completely dry beneath them, and Legolas gingerly sat down on a small sack in the corner of the room. When this was not being used as a cell, it was used as a small store room. Taking care not to lean on the wall, Legolas looked over at the two elves in the corner. Elven twins were not common, and these were the first two that Legolas had encountered.

"How long do you plan to stay down here Legolas?" Legolas looked over to face Elrohir.

"I know not. My father has an unpredictable temper. I think I'll wait until he has retired to bed, or at least retired to the library." Legolas shrugged and looked out of the cell door. Elladan and Elrohir shared a look and shrugged. They didn't want to go back either, and so would probably be down here for a while. They only had to hope that their ada didn't tell them off too much when they would finally show themselves.

They all held their breath when the guard walked past the door.

Thankfully the guard did not look into the cell, and continued on past the door. Legolas slowly moved to his feet again and glanced out the bars of the cell. These doors could only be locked with the key, and so Legolas had not thought twice about shutting the door earlier.

"Where is the moon?" he heard one of the twins mutter softly. He turned to see one of the twins glancing up at the wall of the cell. Here, the stone work had slightly decayed over time, and one could feel the breeze from outside if you stayed close enough to the wall.

"This part of the palace is still underground. None of the palace lies above the ground." he answered softly, and turned his gaze to where he knew the moon would lie tonight.

"No offense Prince Legolas, but can we leave this cell now?" asked Elladan softly. The oppressive atmosphere of the cell was getting to him, and he wanted to feel the air on his face.

Legolas nodded, recognising not only the looks on their faces, but also the need within him to see the stars and feel the fresh night air on his face. Wordlessly, he stood up and made his way to the door.

A frown crossed his face when the door refused to open.

He tried the door again, and once more it wouldn't open under his efforts.

"Is there something wrong?" Elladan stood up from where he was sat, and started to walk closer to the prince.

"Nay, everything is fine. I'm just having a little trouble with the door." he muttered the last under his breath, but both Elladan and Elrohir heard what he said, and shared a worried look.

"Do you need a hand?"

Legolas shook his head at Elrohir's voice, and gave the door another tug. When it didn't show any signs of opening this time, he turned back to the twins with a sheepish look on his face.

"It appears that we are stuck in here."

**TBC…**


	2. First impressions

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Gwend (Friendship)

By: Alilacia

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: 

Spoilers: None that I can think of.

Disclaimer:

I do not own the Lord of the Rings, or anything to do with the film or books. That honour goes to Peter Jackson (et all) and J.R.R Tolkien. I have no permission what so ever to use these characters, will not receive any money for this, and am doing this for my own enjoyment. And to get away from doing my college assignments

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Series:

Gwend (Friendship)

Mortality

Lessons

Wandering

Learning Curve

Sickness

Summary:

Elladan and Elrohir are nearing 50 years of age, and are taken on a trip to Greenwood. This is their first walk into the fair woods, and neither know what to expect. Neither do the elves of Greenwood, and nothing turns out the way you plan.

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Mae govannen!

This is the first instalment in The Lennath Series. According to the site I found on the internet 'Lennath' is apparently journey's in Sindarin. I apologise if it isn't, my elvish skills are not the best in the world.

So in English it is basically 'The Journey's Series'. I decided to call it The Journey's Series, because that is basically what all the stories are about: Legolas' and Aragorn's journey's though life, and the paths it takes them on.

This is a story called Gwend, which is Sindarin for Friendship. I know before I said that Mortality was the first story in this series, but I recently got the idea for a back story, and so there could be many more stories before Mortality, Gwend being the first.

First I am going to make it clear that this is a NON-SLASH, so you won't be finding any relationship between Legolas and Aragorn that is any closer than brothers. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I'm not going to make it any different.

I have finally gotten around to reading the Silmarillion (or at least part of it) and am working on the Unfinished Tales. There is still so much I need to read though, so bear with me.

Namárië mellyn nin

Alilacia

Gwend (Friendship)

"WHAT!"

Elladan stalked right up to where Legolas was standing and pressed his nose right into the elven princes face.

"I didn't just hear you say that we are stuck in a dark, dank prison cell with NO WAY OUT!" Elladan's voice had been steadily rising since he started talking, and Elrohir frantically shushed his brother.

"Quiet Elladan, there are still elves down here." Elladan recognised the warning tone in his brothers voice and took several deep breaths.

"I know that you are not happy with me, but there is not much that I can do about it." Legolas looked down, and glanced back up at the door. It was true, there wasn't anything that he could do about it, and it wasn't as though he had wanted to be stuck in here either.

Elladan conceded defeat this time, and sat down in the corner. He didn't want to be stuck down here, and felt the whole thing was Legolas' fault for taking them down here. He was ignoring the fact that he and his brother had both followed Legolas down here willingly.

Legolas sighed and lingered around the door. He really felt bad for getting them stuck down here, and thought that perhaps he should have just entered the palace when he was told to. Maybe they wouldn't be in this mess now...

Elrohir had moved over to sit next to Elladan and was staring at the ground. _If the ground held the secret to getting out of here, then Elrohir was well on the way to an answer_ mused Legolas dryly as he kicked a lump of dirt out of the way. With another sigh, he leant against the door and looked around. There had to be something around here to help with the door. There _had_ to be.

His fingers automatically closed around the broach he always kept in his pocket. It was small, shaped like a lily, and had been a gift from his mother. Or at least, that was what he had been told by his father who had given it to him.

For occasions such as the feast that took place tonight, this broach could not have been worn on his tunic. There was always the desire to keep it on his person, and so as he had left the room with the twins, he had slipped it into the inner pocket of his tunic.

His fingers started tracing the edges of the ornate design, and Legolas drew in a small, sharp breath as his finger pricked caught on the sharp tip of the pin. Instinctively he drew his hand out of his pocket and sucked his finger into his mouth. Slowly an idea dawned on him and he slowly pulled the broach out of his pocket.

He slowly turned the broach around in his fingers, a smile forming on his lips. He glanced at the door, back at the broach in his hand, and gently pulled the pin out of its clasp.

With quiet steps he walked to the door and gently eased the pin into the key hole. This actions had caught the attention of Elladan and Elrohir and they moved to stand beside him. Legolas' brow furrowed in concentration as he listened for that tiny click.

He redoubled his efforts when he still heard no click, and the twins behind him were starting to get restless again.

A satisfied smile spread over his face when he heard the click, and he slowly eased the door open again, careful not to let it shut. With a single motion to the twins, he crept out of the door. The twins were more than eager to get out of the cell, and followed Legolas silently down the hall.

Something teased at the edges of Legolas' senses, and he slowed his pace somewhat. He came to a grinding halt as once again he found himself face to face with someone who should not have been there. He gulped as he looked upwards.

Boots.

Finely embroidered tunic and leggings.

The start of long blond hair.

A slight smirk.

Grey eyes.

He blinked and looked again. For a heartstopping moment, he thought he was looking at his father. But his father didn't have grey eyes. A small sigh of relief spilled past his lips as his brain informed him that he was looking at Glorfindel.

"And what are you doing out here so late little ones?"

The twins felt their breath leave them in a rush and looked to Legolas in support. They may have grown up with Glorfindel around, indeed he had become somewhat of a uncle to them, but they could not think of anything to say as fear started to grip them.

"We were out taking a walk my lord." Legolas answered after a long pause. It was the only thing he could think of to say, and wished more than anything he was in his room right now.

"A walk." The look on Glorfindel's face made it clear he did not believe them. The elder elf nodded once and cast a look in the direction of the Main Hall. "Your father was looking for you little prince." His lips quirked slightly to the side as Legolas paled and glanced frantically towards the Main Hall. "He was not in the bests of moods I fear when I left."

"Hannon le for letting me know my lord." Legolas took a deep breath as he composed himself, refusing to let Glorfindel know just how rattled he was by those words. "The hour grows late as the moon travels across the sky. It would be best for me to seek out my father in the morning. If you would excuse me, I would like to retire to my chambers, and I wish you all a good night."

Legolas inclined his head, and nodded at each elf standing before him. Without another word, he quickly turned and took the quickest route away from the Main Hall. It didn't matter to him that it would take him longer to get to his room this way.

As Glorfindel shook his head slightly, and started to lead the twins back to their room, they turned their heads back and looked where the prince had retreated.

They had never heard anyone talk like that - save perhaps their ada and some of the other more stuffier elves that frequented their ada's councils. For an elf so young to be speaking like that... it seemed wrong.

Glorfindel was thinking much along the same lines, and shook his head again as they neared the twins rooms. He supposed that the way Legolas had acted back there was a product of his upbringing and nothing more, but it saddened him to see such a young elf act in such a way. Legolas should be out walking amongst the trees, cherishing his childhood before it became lost to him forever. Not hunting spiders, and bearing the mantle of a title that was not even his to carry.

"Ai little one. Would that you could simply leave here and discover that there is more than the iron cage of responsibility and duty." Glorfindel muttered under his breath. The elf sighed and pushed those thoughts away. Legolas could no sooner leave here than he could set up residence in Mordor. Thranduil would never permit it.

With a stare at the twins to be good, he ushered them into their room, and waited by the window as they got ready for bed. Elrond breezed into the room moments later, and Glorfindel retreated into the shadows. As he slipped out of the door, he smiled as Elrond started weaving a tale of adventure and mystery. The tale was all too familiar to him. It was his after all.

As the story moved on to the brave warrior from Gondolin, Glorfindel closed the door softly behind him. Leaving the family to themselves.

Legolas slipped quickly out of the door to his fathers study. The light from the sun had barely started to touch the edges of the horizon when a servant had slipped reluctantly into his room, saying that the King requested that he come to the study immediately.

Legolas had had no choice but to agree, and had headed out to his father study.

Now, two hours and several lectures later, Legolas was eager to breath in the early morning air. He walked swiftly, yet quietly, down the halls and entered his room quietly. An ornate quiver and a finely crafted bow were lying in a chest at the end of his bed. He didn't want anyone getting their hands on his weapons. Opening up the chest, he reached down past the tunics and formal wear neatly folded in rows. His fingers curled around two small gaps in the wood, and he gently pulled the upper most tray out. Reaching in and pulling out his bow and quiver, he smiled. Perhaps it was overly cautious to hide his weapons like this, but Legolas could not have cared less about his decision to hide them.

Over on the bed was a small belt, with two small holders sewn tightly into the material.

With practiced fingers, Legolas tied the belt around his waist and pulled out two daggers from inside the chest. Small, thin leaves had been carefully carved into the hilt, and the design spread down towards the blade. Where the blade met the hilt, the design changed slightly, weaving trails of leafy branches etched brightly in gold. The blade glinted in the morning light, and cast spots of light over Legolas' face.

With a slight smile, Legolas observed the play of light over the blade and wondered if he would have to go out and hunt again today. Although his father did not know it, Legolas had been travelling out into the woods by himself, doing his best to fight back the ever growing population of spiders.

Although Legolas did not know what drew him out into the woods each day, armed and wary. But something spoke of a nameless fear brewing. Whispers on the air, and shadows in the night gathered like a shroud around his heart and he constantly felt darkness stirring on the horizon. Legolas had the feeling that this darkness had the potential to be unlike anything seen for ages. He did not know how he knew this, but he knew with certainty that what was brewing heralded trouble.

His feet lead him upwards, and out into the light. He welcomed the voices of the trees that welcomed his arrival, and took the time to talk to them softly as he walked towards a clearing.

His eyes fell upon a small target, hidden somewhat in the trees. It was easy for him to hit this target now, and he found himself walking further back than he normally did. Reaching back into his quiver, he pulled out a yellow and green fletched arrow. in one smooth motion, the young elf notched the arrow and sighted in on the target. He had moved so far back that to mortal eyes, he could never have been able to see the target, but he could see it easily and released the arrow.

The barb cut through the air and with barely a whisper in the air to mark its passing, the arrow sunk neatly into the target.

A smile spread over his face, and he pulled out another arrow. Placing it in the bow, he once more sighted with the target, pulled the bowstring taut, and was about to release the arrow when there was a rustling to the right.

His eyes narrowed, and he deliberated shooting whatever was there. No elf in their right mind would be walking about the archery courts at this time of day. When there was a strangled noise that didn't sound friendly, Legolas made up his mind and shot the arrow just above where his senses told him the presence was.

A muffled shout made his eyebrows rise and, shouldering his bow, he walked cautiously through the trees. What he saw there made him freeze, and a smirk pulled at his lips.

Elrohir was crumpled in an ungraceful heap by the base of a tree, and Elladan was frozen where he stood, his eyes riveted on an arrow which was embedded in the trunk of a tree about two inches from his head. Elladan gulped, and glared at the smirking elf before him.

"What in Arda's name did you do _that_ for!" cried Elladan as he moved away from the tree as quickly as he could.

"I heard a strange sound and decided to investigate."

"Nice to know that your investigative skills have progressed to shoot first, ask questions later." muttered Elladan darkly.

"What happened to you?" Legolas asked, ignoring the steady stream of curses from Elladan's mouth, directing his question towards Elrohir who was just rising from the ground.

Elrohir blushed slightly and suddenly found the floor at his feet rather interesting. He mumbled something that Legolas could not make out, and the elven prince quickly asked Elrohir to repeat what he had said.

Elrohir sighed and looked up at Legolas, "I tripped over the tree root."

Legolas eyebrow once again threatened to migrate to his hairline. "You're an elf. _How_ did you manage to trip over a tree root? And," something that happened tugged at his mind, "what was that noise I heard then?"

"That," Elladan started with a smirk, "was Elrohir as he tripped. I didn't know an elf could squeak."

"It was not a squeak." Elrohir corrected with a glare.

"Oh forgive me dear brother. It was not a squeak, how could I have ever thought so?" Elladan turned to face Legolas who found this all incredibly amusing. "Well, whatever it was, it was definitely very feminine."

Legolas started laughing when Elrohir growled under his breath and lunged for his brother. Elladan gasped with slight laughter as they both hit the ground.

Legolas was about to turn away and go back to his practice when he heard something behind him. It sounded suspiciously like footsteps. His eyes widened as he recognised the footsteps and ran into the trees. Elladan and Elrohir looked up just as Legolas darted out of sight, and stopped wrestling long enough to see Elrond and Thranduil walk through the trees.

Both elves shot to their feet like they had been burned, and Elrohir managed a hasty bow as Elladan frantically brushed the leaves off of their clothes. Elrohir brushed Elladan's hands away and unconsciously straightened his stained tunic as he caught sight of Lord Elrond's amused gaze.

The silence was starting to wear on him, and Elladan glanced once at the trees before turning to face the two elves standing before him. He cleared his throat softly, and hoped he could think of something to talk his way out of this. "Good morning ada, Your Majesty."

Thranduil noticed the glance at the bushes and raised an eyebrow. Glancing at the bushes himself, the other eyebrow joined the first as he saw Legolas trying to do his best impression of a shrub.

"Elladan, Elrohir. Where is my son?"

"What makes you think we know Your Highness?" said Elladan quickly. Too quickly.

Thranduil inclined his head with an amused smirk, and pointed to the lone arrow lying on the floor behind them. The twins turned around, and Elladan felt his heart sink somewhere in the region of his stomach. Ai Legolas, the whole point of hiding is that you _remove_ all traces of your presence from a room.

"My sons?"

The twins turned back around and pasted fake looks on confusion on their faces. "Well, he was here..."

Thranduil was not amused, and fixed the twins with 'the look'. Something he usually reserved for Legolas. "So, where is my son?" he repeated, annoyance darkening his tone. The twins really wanted to run away, but held their ground. Weighing up which death would be less gruesome: at Legolas or Thranduil's hand, they decided that Legolas was the lesser of two evils and both twins pointed at the same shrub.

The twins chuckled, and Thranduil raised an eyebrow as the shrub in question cursed rather colourfully, and Legolas walked slowly out of the shrub. To say he looked dishevelled was an understatement, and various leaves and twigs were sticking out from his hair. With a dark glare to the twins, Legolas gracefully walked to stand next to his father. As gracefully as one can with half the bush still living in your hair.

Slender fingers started pulling out the remnants of the bush from his hair, and Thranduil fixed his son with a look. Legolas paused, quickly flashed his father a bright smile, and then returned to cleaning his hair. Thranduil shook his head, deciding to lull Legolas into a false sense of security and lecture him later. The King completely ignored the tiny voice that muttered that he was only doing this because his 'on the spot lecture' skills were more than a little rusty.

"Legolas, it is time for your lessons." Thranduil reminded.

Legolas paused in the middle of working through a large, knotted tangle. "But Ada, I don't have any lessons today."

"You do now. I discussed this with Glorfindel last night. Which you would have known about had you been there." Legolas hung his head slightly at the reproving tone in his fathers words. "Archery you may excel at, but little has been taught about history. Glorfindel thinks he can teach you what you do not know."

Legolas grimace was lost in his hair, and he masked his face before raising his head. "Of course Ada." Legolas inclined his head in respect, and followed his father into the palace. His heart sinking with each step he took. Why did it have to be _history_?

Elrond looked down at his sons, the expression in his eyes enough to let them know he wanted them to follow him inside as well. The twins nodded back, but asked if they could stay out here for a moment more. Elrond hesitated, but could think of no real reason why he could deny his sons this, and nodded once. With one more glance that told them not to do anything funny, he turned around and started walking back towards the palace.

"Hey El," said Elladan, once Elrond was out of earshot.

"What is it?" Elrohir turned to face his twin.

"What are you going to be doing tonight?"

Elrohir frowned as he thought ahead. "Probably nothing. I might hide out in my room for a while. Glorfindel has been doing the rounds trying to get people to drag into the library with him. Honestly, he thinks people really want to read all those books for hours."

"Ada does."

"Yes well, Ada's old." Elrohir commented in the tone that every elf under the age of 200 adopted when talking about their elders. One that clearly said that every elf over 3000 was ancient in every sense of the word. "That doesn't count. Ada's always liked books."

Elladan shrugged, and looked out into the trees. "And Ada's always going to be like that. So, what do you say we do a little exploring of our own tonight?"

Elrohir looked at his brother with an expression that clearly stated he worried for his brothers memory. "But Elladan, we've already been given the tour of Greenwood."

"I don't mean the council rooms, and the libraries. Only stuffy diplomats ever hang around in there. I mean, all the places that we are not supposed to see." Elladan finished with a wide sweep to the woods around them.

Elrohir's eyes widened. "The woods! You want to go into the woods? Elladan, have you lost your mind! Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Of course I do." Elladan rolled his eyes. "But the chances of us being attacked this time are slim."

"That's what Glorfindel said last time."

"Are you scared brother?"

"No!" Elrohir frowned and looked out into the woods. "I just don't really want to walk headfirst into what could lead to my death."

"Don't you trust me?"

"...Yes... Sometimes I wonder why, but yes."

Elladan grabbed his brothers hand and started pulling him towards the palace. "Well there you go then! Nothing will go wrong."

"I'd feel better if Legolas was with us." Elrohir admitted as he was pulled along. "You saw what he did to that spider. Killed it quicker than we finished off all of the three spiders that attacked us first."

"So he's a better archer. We are capable of taking care of ourselves you know."

Elrohir rolled his eyes, and didn't bother to argue any more. When Elladan was dead set on something, there was nothing you could do to change his mind. As they reached the palace doors, Elrohir wondered just what the woods of Greenwood would set out for them once they ventured in their alone.

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TBC…

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Reviews:

Kaeera - Hello again! I can't remember when the last one was either. ;

Paris and Berlin! Cool! You'll have to tell me how they went!

Your orchestra is playing in a TV show? If it hasn't already been, is there any chance that I could see it on TV?

Maths shudders hate the subject. Can't stand it. wishes it could be wiped from the syllabus

Ask and ye shall receive. grins here's the next chapter.

Legola Lu - Thanks! I'll try and incorporate more of Legolas' past up until this point in future chapters. Thanks for reading and reviewing :-)

Lady Lenna - Aww, thanks grins I tried to make them as cute as possible without seeming over cavity causing. Glad it turned out okay.

Iawen Londea - chuckles It would have been really funny if Thranduil had known where he wayward son was and sent someone to follow him. Although I don't think he's had locked his son in the dungeons. I know that Thranduil can be a bit harsh at times, but I hope he'd never consider that. --;

Hex Of The Unseelie - Hey, cool name! Aww, thanks Hope you like this chapter.

Elfaer Giliell - People are reading my stories! Cool! Glad you liked this, and hopefully you liked the others as well.


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